A number of different methods of placing, positioning and thereafter permanently fastening rail sections on rail sections on a number of mutually adjacent and mutually spaced, loose railroad sleepers each of which rests loosely on a railroad bed are known to the art.
By "loosely placed" is meant that a rail section is not fastened to underlying sleepers with the aid of fastener devices and that the sleepers are able to move relative to the underlying surface, preferably a prepared railroad bed, in response to a small force.
The method that can be considered to lie closest to the invention is the method that requires the use of a first railroad wagon which is adapted to carry a store of railroad rail sections, a second railroad wagon or like vehicle adapted to guide the successively withdrawn and linearly displaced rail sections from said first wagon onto said railroad sleepers.
It is also known in conjunction with this method to draw a rail section from the store of rail sections on the first wagon over loose sleepers via said second wagon, and to brinc said rail section into abutment with said sleepers with the aid of a pulling vehicle, such as a tractor, having gripping devices and means adapted for coaction with the end-part of the withdrawn rail section.
The earlier known method requires both the first wagon and the second wagon or like vehicle to run along provisionally placed and secured rail sections that are separate from the permanent rail sections to be placed on and permanently secured to the sleepers at a distance apart corresponding to the gauge or track of the normal railroad traffic.
This earlier known method allows rail sections intended to be permanently positioned by the pulling vehicle to extend on the loose railroad sleepers.
The different forces acting on the sleepers as the rail sections slide therealong are liable to cause the earlier established spacing between the sleepers to be disturbed.
Bearing in mind that a rail section of the kind to which the invention refers may have a length of about 100 m or more, it will be understood that the sleepers are subjected to very high pressure forces and that the sleepers are very liable to tilt or tip as a result of these forces.
The method recited in the introduction for creating conditions whereby a previously positioned rail can be lifted and moved relative to a railroad sleeper and the rail lowered onto the sleeper and therewith create conditions for adapting or neutralizing tension forces acting in rails that are fastened to sleepers is known to the art.
The rail section has earlier been lifted from the loosened sleepers with the aid of hand-operated lever, a crowbar or some like device.
It has also been proposed to place rollers between the raised rail section and the sleeper, and to permit the entire rail section to rest on a number of such rollers.
This method is laborious, however, while application of rollers on the sleepers is made complicated by virtue of needing to place in the close proximity of the sleeper fastening elements.
The present invention also relates to a device that can be used beneficially when practicing the inventive method. With regard to the prior standpoint of techniques it should be mentioned that it is known within other technical fields and other applications to rotatably mount a support surface or roller on mutually opposing end-wall parts with the aid of suitable bearing means.
It is also known to rotatably or pivotally mount one or more end-wall part on a supportive structure.
The patent publication DT-B2-18 08 696 discloses a plant whereby new railroad sections are distributed and arranged along the railroad bed simultaneously as old railroad sections are taken away.
By the publication AT-B-337 749 it is previously known a device to lift or lower loose railroad sections by the use of lever arm system using an excentric disc causing to lift and to lower a turnable plate, its free end portions having spheres supporting the railroad sections.